07.07.2026

More Than Words: Why Oral Language Is the Skill of the Future

From explaining ideas in class to making friends and succeeding in the workplace, a child's ability to communicate shapes every aspect of their life. Yet speaking and listening are often the skills we assume children will simply develop naturally. In the interview, Jennifer Lee Kalinec, teacher and SIS Switzerland's Oral Language Curriculum Expert, explains why oral language deserves the same attention as reading and writing, and how SIS is helping students become confident communicators.

Why is oral language such an important skill for the future?
Oral language is one of the most valuable skills we can develop in our students. As automation continues to reshape the workplace, the ability to communicate with clarity, nuance, and persuasion will become even more important. Strong oral language supports thinking, builds vocabulary, and strengthens learning across every subject. It also develops the social and emotional skills children need to collaborate, negotiate, and lead in an increasingly human-centred workplace.

Some people believe oral language develops naturally if children are simply given time to talk. Why do effective teachers still plan precise oral language learning objectives?
While children do develop conversational language naturally, the rich academic and communicative vocabulary they need for school and life doesn't emerge through unstructured talk alone. Carefully planned oral language objectives ensure that every child, regardless of their home language environment, has equitable access to the vocabulary, sentence structures, and active listening skills that underpin success across the curriculum and beyond. Just as we wouldn't leave the development of mathematical thinking to chance, we shouldn't leave the development of high-quality oral language to chance either.

How does a high-quality oral language task benefit children learning English?
They create purposeful, low-pressure situations where language learners can stretch their abilities in real time, building confidence alongside competence. When tasks are built around engaging, concrete content – a picture book, a hands-on science experiment, or a structured partner discussion – they give young language learners the repeated exposure to vocabulary and sentence patterns that accelerates acquisition far more effectively than passive listening or worksheet-based activities. Rather than limiting students to what they can already produce independently, a high-quality oral language task positions them at the edge of their current ability, and then gives them the scaffolding, the encouragement, and the audience to reach beyond it.

How is SIS helping students develop these skills?
Across SIS, students are experiencing a more purposeful and consistent approach to oral language development than ever before. Our new curriculum allows teachers to plan and assess listening and speaking with greater precision, while shared practices like accountable talk and the use of sentence stems are giving students the language and confidence to participate meaningfully in classroom discussions across all subject areas. Students are also explicitly taught active listening and encouraged to reflect on their own communication. These experiences aren't confined to language lessons; they are woven into science, mathematics, and beyond. The impact is already visible: students can articulate their thinking, listen with purpose, and engage in respectful, substantive discussion in any classroom, and increasingly, in the world outside it.

What are three things parents can do at home to support their child’s oral language development?
There are many helpful strategies families can use at home, but these are a few of my favourites:

Engaging in regular conversations
Everyday moments – mealtimes, car rides, walks to school – are rich opportunities for meaningful conversation. Rather than questions with simple “yes” or “no” answers, try asking things like “What was the funniest part of your day and why?” or “How did that make you feel?” These open-ended exchanges encourage children to organise their thoughts, expand their vocabulary, and practise the kind of reasoned, expressive talk that serves them well in the classroom and beyond.
Shared reading and storytelling
Reading aloud together – and pausing to talk about what's happening, predict what might come next, or connect the story to real life – builds vocabulary and comprehension in a wonderfully natural way. Storytelling is equally powerful; inviting children to retell a favourite story, make up their own, or add a new ending develops narrative language and imaginative thinking. These shared experiences also create the kind of warm, unhurried conversations where language truly flourishes.
Building listening skills
Listening is the other half of oral language, and it's one we can easily nurture at home through age-appropriate podcasts and audiobooks. Tuning in together and then discussing what you heard – “What surprised you about that?” or “Did you agree with that idea?” – turns passive listening into active language learning. Over time, this builds the focused listening and comprehension skills that underpin success in both the classroom and everyday life.

Finally, if your family speaks a language other than English or German at home, keep using it – richly and proudly. Speaking, reading, and storytelling in your home language build strong language foundations that transfer directly to learning at school. A child who arrives at school with a strong foundation in any language is better equipped to learn, connect, and thrive.

Jennifer Lee Kalinec is a teacher at SIS Männedorf-Zürich and Oral Language Curriculum Expert at SIS Switzerland. She believes that strong language skills are the key to successful learning, meaningful relationships, and future professional success. Through the new Oral Language Curriculum, she is helping to establish a systematic approach to developing speaking and listening skills across all SIS schools.

Interview: Kellie Robinson, Teacher at SIS Männedorf-Zürich

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